How difficult will these classes be together???

[MrRed]

So next semester i decided to pick up an extra class, cell bio. I go to school at UCONN if anyone has taken these classes there even better would love some input. Current GPA is 3.925 would like to keep it high!!

Chem II (chem 1128)
Calc II (calc 1132)
Cell Biology (mcb 2210)
Computational Molecular Biology (mcb 1410)
Principles of Biology II (bio 1108)

18 credits total so not horrible credit wise just wondering about difficulty!
so for those of you who have taken these classes, you think this schedule would be overkill if I'm trying for all A's this semester?

on an unrelated note I'm taking my EMT practical for the state on Thursday so wish me luck

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[fmpak93]

Three biology classes would be too much memorization for me; but that's just me(I suck at bio), more of a math person. If it is your strength then this seems fairly doable. I loved Calc II =D

 

[MrRed]

Three biology classes would be too much memorization for me; but that's just me(I suck at bio), more of a math person. If it is your strength then this seems fairly doable. I loved Calc II =D

nice! math is actually my weak point. had to study my ass off to get an A- in calc I, so really looking forward to being done with all math. I find rote memorization to be pretty simple, I'm lucky that if i take extensive, detailed notes for a few hours per chapter i remember most of the information.

curious though, how would you say calc II compares to calc I? admittedly calc II is the class I'm most worried about!! and thanks for the input

 

[fmpak93]

nice! math is actually my weak point. had to study my ass off to get an A- in calc I, so really looking forward to being done with all math. I find rote memorization to be pretty simple, I'm lucky that if i take extensive, detailed notes for a few hours per chapter i remember most of the information.

curious though, how would you say calc II compares to calc I? admittedly calc II is the class I'm most worried about!! and thanks for the input

Haha I took Orgo I, Neurobio, Cell Bio in one semester(along with Physics)..awful idea, hated Biology since haha. And yeah there is a negative stigma attached to Calc 2 for being incredibly difficult though it usually is not. Most of my friends usually take Calc 1 and then a Stats course instead to avoid it. In my opinion it was reasonably moderate, Calc 1 was more focused on Limits/Derivatives whereas Calc 2 is very heavy on integral calculus and then you do Sums/Series at the end so it is a lot different from Calc 1 but I'm sure you will be fine if you got an A in calc 1.

 

[Aerus]

You'll definitely be working this semester, but it sounds fine. Just be on top of your work, sacrifice a day of the weekend to get ahead, since falling behind in a memorization heavy semester will suck.

 

[MrRed]

You'll definitely be working this semester, but it sounds fine. Just be on top of your work, sacrifice a day of the weekend to get ahead, since falling behind in a memorization heavy semester will suck.

true! thanks for the input my friend. i've just been doing some reading on ratemyprofessor about computational molecular biology. seems that the final exam is a group research project (honors course) so that is a huge relief!
but yes for cell biology + bio 1108 (assuming bio 1108 isnt really easy which i hope it will be after 1107!) i'm sure there will be many weekend nights devoted to notetaking. should all be worth it in the end if i can get into med school

Haha I took Orgo I, Neurobio, Cell Bio in one semester(along with Physics)..awful idea, hated Biology since haha. And yeah there is a negative stigma attached to Calc 2 for being incredibly difficult though it usually is not. Most of my friends usually take Calc 1 and then a Stats course instead to avoid it. In my opinion it was reasonably moderate, Calc 1 was more focused on Limits/Derivatives whereas Calc 2 is very heavy on integral calculus and then you do Sums/Series at the end so it is a lot different from Calc 1 but I'm sure you will be fine if you got an A in calc 1.

ahh the infamous integrals i see! I sort of like them because i can just use derivatives every time to see if i have the correct answer. did you have true/false concept questions on your calc II exams? those are usually what bite me in the ass hard on the exams. first exam in calc I got a C+ because i got every true/false wrong but everything else right lol

 

[Aerus]

true! thanks for the input my friend. i've just been doing some reading on ratemyprofessor about computational molecular biology. seems that the final exam is a group research project (honors course) so that is a huge relief!
but yes for cell biology + bio 1108 (assuming bio 1108 isnt really easy which i hope it will be after 1107!) i'm sure there will be many weekend nights devoted to notetaking. should all be worth it in the end if i can get into med school

Though everyone has their own ways to study, there might be more efficient ways to master the material without note taking. I've taken a few upper level biology courses so far and I didn't need any note taking in any of those classes. I'm not saying you shouldn't (because if it works then go for it!) but if you find that note taking is too time consuming, maybe seeing if other methods you successfully done before will work?

 

[MrRed]

Though everyone has their own ways to study, there might be more efficient ways to master the material without note taking. I've taken a few upper level biology courses so far and I didn't need any note taking in any of those classes. I'm not saying you shouldn't (because if it works then go for it!) but if you find that note taking is too time consuming, maybe seeing if other methods you successfully done before will work?

well i was an atrocious student in high school, so i've only been seriously devoted to school work for the past year and a half. Literally the only strategy i have used for memorization of mass amounts of material is detailed notetaking. care to share the ways you do it? i would love to try out some less time-consuming ways and see if they work any good for me haha

 

[Aerus]

well i was an atrocious student in high school, so i've only been seriously devoted to school work for the past year and a half. Literally the only strategy i have used for memorization of mass amounts of material is detailed notetaking. care to share the ways you do it? i would love to try out some less time-consuming ways and see if they work any good for me haha

For me, I love organizing large amounts of information into neat categorical sections. That makes the gargantuan number of facts and figures much more manageable. Then from there, I identify what type of information it is and select the appropriate method of studying it: outlining mechanical processes (like pathways), mnemonic devices (for cold hard facts), or visual diagrams (for complicated messes of information that seem to go everywhere).

After you have your categories of information with specific ways to know the material, it's repetition, self testing, then tutoring.

-Repetition: It's much easier to study information that's organized into neat chunks. So this is the cold, hard studying that you can't avoid. But hey, it's a lot easier now!
-Self-testing: Once you have it down, try testing yourself privately without looking. Be able to quickly recall information and even explain it to yourself. BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN WHY SOMETHING IS AND HOW THE CONCEPTS RELATE TOGETHER, if possible.
-Tutoring: After you have a strong grasp, offer tutoring to other people taking the class. If none available, find a friend to explain it to. Any spots in which you are unable to explain very well are your weaknesses, in which you can then address accordingly before the exam.

I aim for mastery over the material rather than simple memorization and regurgitation of every detail without appreciation of the context. I also find this much more effective and time efficient than simply outlining everything in the book and slides in the form of notes.

 

[fmpak93]

true! thanks for the input my friend. i've just been doing some reading on ratemyprofessor about computational molecular biology. seems that the final exam is a group research project (honors course) so that is a huge relief!
but yes for cell biology + bio 1108 (assuming bio 1108 isnt really easy which i hope it will be after 1107!) i'm sure there will be many weekend nights devoted to notetaking. should all be worth it in the end if i can get into med school



ahh the infamous integrals i see! I sort of like them because i can just use derivatives every time to see if i have the correct answer. did you have true/false concept questions on your calc II exams? those are usually what bite me in the ass hard on the exams. first exam in calc I got a C+ because i got every true/false wrong but everything else right lol

A lot of people found Calc 1 more conceptual than Calc 2 actually. If you're a beast at integrals then Calc 2 shouldn't give too much trouble. I don't recall any true/false question when I took Calc 2 though haha

 

[itsthat1guy]

I go to uconn and took a similar course load last semester. Cell bio is a great course, and requires little memorization as it really twats you on the big ideas (however it's not very easy either). You'll be fine

 

[QuantumJ]

Should be fine. Looks like a typical upper level science major semester. Calc 2 is straightforward and there isn't and lab or busy work with it. Chem 2 is also pretty easy but of course labs suck up time like crazy. It all depends on whether you've done something like this before as only you know what you're capable of. Personally, I took 18hrs of upper level physics and math courses every semester and it was never a problem.

 

[MrRed]

Awesome, thanks for all the responses all! feeling much more confident after reading them. hope these next few months go well for all of us!